Tying knots with a rope is well known in the art. A variety of specialized knots are found particularly useful for application aboard boats or ships, such as in sailing. In challenging waters, the ability to tie the right knot for the situation, and to do so quickly, is often critically important. To perfect and retain nautical knot tying skills, the user must practice frequently. One method is to practice while on board the boat or ship using actual boat lines to tie knots to actual shipboard fixtures such as rails, anchor chains, D-rings, cleats, and the like. This practice method is quite effective in that actual regulation sized ropes and actual shipboard fixtures are used. However, when the vessel is not being utilized or is otherwise unavailable, this method is not possible and the time between practice sessions can resultantly extend to months. During these protracted periods, knot tying skills can diminish considerably.
To properly maintain knot tying skills, supplemental knot tying practice away from the boat is therefore required. This can be accomplished by utilizing commercially available knot tying aides, which typically comprise a collection of small sticks and strings, coupled with various knot tying instructions. Major drawbacks exist, however, in that the sticks and strings do not represent actual-sized shipboard fixtures and ropes, and consequently realistic knot tying cannot be practiced. Oftentimes the string will break in the effort of cinching a knot or cannot securely hold the sticks. Also, the sticks do not represent actual shipboard fixtures, and therefore association with an application on a boat is quite impossible.
Another possible method of practicing knot tying would consist of individually providing ropes and shipboard related fixtures. This too is troublesome in that many items have to be individually supplied, utilized, and then collected and commonly stored after each practice session.
Several prior art patents disclose inventions that relate to knot tying. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,449,547 describes a process for tying a bow tie about a package. U.S. Pat. No. 2,595,235 illustrates a device for holding a package while tying a cord around it. U.S. Pat. No. 3,688,357 comprises a macrame loom, which offers round structures for tying knots. U.S. Pat. No. 3,700,272 describes a fisherman's knot tying device for monofilament line which requires that the manufacturer's recommendations for knot tying be strictly observed in order to retain the full line strength. The knots described are quite complicated, and require a special rig to effect the tying process. U.S. Pat. No. 3,752,516 shows a knot tying jig for tying one type of special fisherman's knot on the end of a fishing line.
None of the prior art devices provide a device upon which the art of nautical knot tying may be realistically practiced. It is toward this objective that the present invention is targeted.